DOT Foods newest program partners with Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma

Sunday

Apr 13, 2014 at 8:00 AM

DOT Foods welcomed the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma to its neighborhood Thursday, also known as the Ardmore Distribution Center.

Huddled around DOT Foods’ staff in matching lime green T-shirts, Mike Ford, general manager of the center, announced a new charitable giving program called Neighbor-to-Neighbor. As good corporate neighbors, DOT Foods donated $50,000 to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, a non-profit organization committed to fighting hunger in the state.

Ford said the Illinois-based company is committed to serving the local community and partnering with various organizations.

“We have been very successful (as a company). Part of that success means we want to give back to the community,” Ford said. “This represents a new program for DOT Foods. It is an extension of what we have done for a long time.”

The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma reports that a $50,000 donation will provide approximately 250,000 meals for families in Oklahoma.

Ford explained the program goes further than just a donation. Additionally, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma will be able to purchase various food products at a discounted rate from DOT Foods, a food distributor.

DOT Foods across the country are participating in the Neighbor-to-Neighbor program. In all, $462,500 will be donated to 10 food banks in the nation in 2014.

Rodney Bivens, executive director and founder of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, accepted the donation from Ford. He told the DOT Foods’ staff how hunger is an ongoing issue in Oklahoma with 1 in 6 people suffering from hunger.

“This will make a huge difference,” Bivens said. “We really do appreciate the opportunity, but more importantly, the ongoing partnership with DOT Foods.”